CrissCross (1992) Key West - Kid Neo Noir - Lite

Here was a nice little surprise.

I never heard of it, and saw it featured as one of the films on Goldie Hawn's day on Turner Classic Movies Summer Under The Stars August theme.

The director was Chris Menges. This was Menges second feature film as a director. He is more known for his work as a cinematographer on The Killing Fields, The Mission, and Michael Collins. The film was written by Scott Sommer and based on his novella.

The gorgeous cinematography by Ivan Strasburg (Dirty Pretty Things). Music by Trevor Jones.

The film stars David Arnott as Chris Cross, Goldie Hawn as Tracy Cross. Arliss Howard as Joe, Keith Carradine as John Cross, James Gammon as Emmitt, Steve Buscemi as Louis. and Key West, and Southern Florida.

David Arnott as Chris Cross

Chris Cross narrates and tells the story in a flashback.

Goldie Hawn as Tracy Cross.

1969. Key West. Tracy Cross is a divorcee. She lives in The Eden House hotel with her twelve year old son Chris. She and Chris make the rent by working for the hotel. During the day Tracy waits on tables. At night she moonlights bar-tending at the Key Club a local strip joint. Tray drives an oil burning 1957 Chrysler Imperial.

Chris has an early morning newspaper route, buses tables at the Hotel and cleans the pool. He also picks up fresh fish a few ties a week for a local restaurant cook from a fishing trawler that's seen better days. Chris has a first girlfriend Termina. They are both just at the age of puberty and are on the brink of "doing it." They haven't progressed much farther than the I'll show you mine if you show me yours stage.

newspaper route

waiting tables

Chris and Termina

Tracy's ex husband John is a piece of work. He was a Navy fighter pilot who mistakenly bombed a hospital on his last mission.

Keith Carradine as John Cross

He lost it. Quit the Navy. Burned his uniform. Took to boozing it up to forget. Then pulls a one eighty. Goes old sober deserts his family and runs off to a monastery North of Miami. There he takes a vow of silence and raises vegetables in the monasteries garden.

Arliss Howard as Joe

Tracy gets into a new relationship with a just got in town jasper named Joe. Chris is dismayed. He complains to his guidance counselor that all these guys are trying to nail his mother.

To make more money Tracy decides to start stripping when one of the regulars takes off for Miami. At the same time, while carrying the stringer of fish along the dock the dog Rebel takes a bite out of one of them and Chris discovers a packet of cocaine inserted into the fishes belly. Chris keeps the cocaine and tells the cook that Rebel ate one of the fish.

On the night of Tracy's debut as a stripper, Chris overhears his mom's gal pal say something to Tracy about her act. Curious, Chris sneaks into the back seat of the Imperial and goes to the strip club. He sneaks in through the door and watches Tracy do act fro the back wall. Chris is embarrassed. He runs out of the place and hitches a ride with a truck driver to North Miami to visit his father.

His father John pretty much dashes his hopes of a happy family reunion. Chris decides to become a dealer to make enough money so that his mother can stop stripping. Things go Noirsville when he tries to sell cocaine to some undercover narcotics cops.

Noirsville

The whole tale is woven about the historic Apollo 11 Moon landing and the director and cinematographer recreate a wonderful sense of time and place. David Arnott  in his only film does a wonderful job, Goldie is excellent. The rest of the cast are quite believable and look for Steve Buscemi as a longhair hippy. Café au lait Neo Noir worth a look 7/10.